CLIMATE activists unfurled a banner calling US President Donald Trump a war criminal in the grounds of Windsor Castle ahead of a series of protests during his three-day state visit to Britain starting on Tuesday.

The sign showed a picture of President Trump with the words “Climate criminal. War criminal. The only place he’s welcome is The Hague.”

Campaigners from Fossil Free London chanted: “Climate criminal, war criminal, Trump’s not welcome here” as they drew attention to the “wannabe dictator’s” climate and foreign policy record today.

His second state visit to Britain has sparked calls for a large demonstration in London tomorrow, 2pm at Portland Place, organised by the Stop Trump Coalition.

Fossil Free London director Robin Wells said: “Genocide is unfolding. Seen on our phones through the faces of thousands of screaming children. Floods and fires across Europe get closer each day to our own front doors. But Trump claps and cheers for more. 

“Not only does he refuse to impose sanctions, he cheers on ethnic cleansing and the seizure of Palestinian land. Not only does he fail to take the bold climate action needed, he tears up existing climate policy and crows for his billionaire bros to drill for more oil.

“Trump’s politics are not welcome here. This second state visit is a stain on our collective consciousness.”

A Stop Trump Coalition spokesperson said: “People all over the UK are disgusted by the government’s invitation for Donald Trump to have another state visit. 

“His policies are enabling genocide, damaging the climate, and threatening global democracy, so of course people are unhappy about the red carpet being rolled out for him. 

“The majority of Britons do not support our government pandering to wannabe dictator Donald Trump.” 

It comes as Britain and the US agreed a deal to boost the building of nuclear plants in both countries, which is to be signed during the state visit.

Today, skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told Sky News: “We hope and expect that some of that power will be fuelling people’s homes in the 2030s.

“In order to do that, what we are doing is cutting down the duplication in the regulation necessary in order to develop these reactors, but we have in this country, and we will maintain in this country, some of the highest standards in the world around safety and regulation.

“We’ll just make sure there isn’t duplication there and we can get this power on stream more quickly to take control of our energy and to protect people’s bills.”

The designs behind some of the deals are relatively new, and it could take many years before the nuclear projects generate energy for homes and businesses.

The so-called Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy aims to make it quicker for companies to build new nuclear power stations in both countries.

Britain’s nuclear programme already includes plans for small modular reactors (SMRs), which are a scaled-down version of larger plants, with Rolls-Royce selected to design and build the first in the country.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in June warned against shouldering the country “with the huge costs of this dangerous, costly, and unsustainable energy source” after Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out more than £30 billion in funding for a “new era of nuclear power” in her spending review.

CND general secretary Sophie Bolt told the Morning Star: “Keir Starmer talks about a ‘golden age of nuclear’ but what he really means is a gold rush for nuclear companies and their investors with untested technologies — all paid for with public money.

“This government is using the same rhetoric to justify the colossal hikes in military spending with many of the same companies set to make billions in profit.

“Like with military spending, most of this money will flow to companies outside of Britain and away from the communities they claim to be helping.”

Ms Bolt said that the effort to “push nuclear power as the answer to our energy concerns also ignores the radioactive elephant in the room — that building more nuclear reactors will only add to Britain’s toxic waste problem.”

She said: “The Commons’ public accounts committee recently criticised the ongoing mess at Sellafield — which will continue to leak into the ground until the 2050s.

“Ultimately, Britain’s civilian nuclear programme is about building up Britain’s deadly nuclear weapons programme.

“The government must reverse this disastrous direction and instead channel investment into genuinely self-reliant renewables like wind, solar and tidal energy.

“Rather than ensuring Britain’s energy independence, we’re locking ourselves into further reliance on the whims of Donald Trump.”

Rosie Downes, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth, said: “Donald Trump has consistently put the profits of polluters ahead of people and the planet, rolling back vital protections and blocking progress when urgent action is needed. Worse still, he is perpetuating ongoing humanitarian crises with dangerous rhetoric and reckless decisions.

“The Trump presidency makes the world a more dangerous place with politics designed to serve the rich and powerful. Worryingly, other politicians are copying this playbook to push regressive agendas and spread falsehoods, including on climate change. We stand in solidarity with those protesting his state visit and demanding a fairer, greener future.”